Don’t forget–PILF Fellowship Applications are due TOMORROW, March 30th. Drop off or e-mail your completed application to Jeanne Criswell (jebrown@indiana.edu) in the Recorder’s Office. If you have questions concerning the application, e-mail Laura Dulic (ldulic@indiana.edu).

Reminder: applications for the 2012 PILF Fellowship Application are due a week from tomorrow! Turn in your applications by Friday, March 30th to be considered for a fellowship.

There will also be a PILF meeting next Tuesday, March 27th, at noon in room 121. We will hold elections for next year’s PILF board and lunch will be provided. If you have questions about the election process, e-mail current President Laura Dulic at ldulic@indiana.edu. See you there!

Join us at noon today for Singing for Summer Salaries in the Moot Court Room. Help support your classmates who are working at unpaid public interest internships next summer by buying lunch, donating for door prizes, bidding on auction packages, and choosing the professor who will sing at the end of the hour.

Here’s a reminder about the packages up for auction:

Dinner and a Show: 2 gift certificates to Hu Hot and 2 tickets to “In the Heights” at the IU Auditorium

Get Professional: $150 eyeglasses and a gift certificate for tailoring

Date Night: A dozen roses and a gift certificate to Uptown for you and that special someone

Work it Out: A one month gym membership and an hour long massage–you deserve it

Spring Cleaning: Two free car washes and a $100 gift certificate for a home cleaning service

Just a reminder to join us tomorrow for Singing for Summer Salaries in the Moot Court room at noon. Remember that all proceeds will go to the PILF scholarship fund and will help students with unpaid public interest summer internships. You can donate $2 (or more) at the door to be eligible for door prizes, bid on auction packages (listed below), buy lunch at the event, and of course donate toward the professor of your choice.

Here are the auction packages available:

Dinner and a Show: 2 gift certificates to Hu Hot and 2 tickets to “In the Heights” at the IU Auditorium

Get Professional: $150 eyeglasses and a gift certificate for tailoring

Date Night: A dozen roses and a gift certificate to Uptown for you and that special someone

Work it Out: A one month gym membership and an hour long massage–you deserve it

Spring Cleaning: Two free car washes and a $100 gift certificate for a home cleaning service

One week from today, PILF will hold the biggest fundraising event of the year: Singing for Summer Salaries. Join us at noon in the moot court room next Tuesday, February 21st for the festivities. We will be selling lunch, auctioning off packages from local businesses, and taking donations to decide which professor will have to sing in front of the school. Tell your friends and bring your checkbook–the professor who earns the most money will have to perform a song at the end of the lunch hour. Past performers have included Professor Heidt and Professor Scott, so this year’s professor will have a tough act to follow. You can also stop by the PILF table at lunch any time this week and donate toward the professor of your choice:

Fuentes-Rohwer

Geyh

Hughes

Lahn

Leaffer

Lederman

Madeira

Needy

Orenstein

Reichard

All the proceeds will go to PILF Summer Fellowships so the more money we raise, the more public interest internships we can fund. Help us spread the word about the event, and we’ll see you next week!

Correction–PILF will meet next Tuesday, January 31st, at noon in Room 125–lunch will be provided. (An earlier blog post listed the meeting as Monday, the 30th–we apologize for this mistake). The main focus of the meeting will be to discuss PILF’s annual fundraising event, Singing for Summer Salaries. It takes a lot of volunteers to make the event possible, and donating your time to the event is one great way to contribute to PILF and increase your chances of earning a Summer Fellowship.

Additionally, it is still not too late to join PILF! Encourage your friends to come to the meeting and learn what PILF is all about. We hope to see you all on Monday.

Remember, there is a PILF meeting today at noon in Room 121. Lunch will be provided. The meeting will feature a presentation on managing law school debt. We will also elect 1L representatives. See you there!

We know that a major concern among law students pursuing public interest—ourselves included—is managing law school debt after graduation. This fear should NOT deter you from pursuing your dream job, however. Next week, Paul Leopold from Financial Aid will visit the PILF Meeting (Tuesday October 11th, Room 121 at noon) to speak on this topic. Until then, here is some advice . . .

One way to mitigate your debt while in law school is to obtain funding for summer internships. In the spring, you can apply for scholarships through PILF, but until then, there are some other helpful resources for obtaining summer funding from PSLawNet. PSLawNet also has information on how to have fun while interning in a big city without overspending. If you want general information on financing a career in public interest, PSLawNet has that too.

It’s also important to know that you are not alone. Your concern is shared by students all over the country, and many are working hard to help. Equal Justice Works has many resources on this topic and frequently holds educational webinars.

The bottom line is this: don’t let the cost of your education deter you from considering a career in public interest. Financial Aid is always here to help. Attend the PILF meeting next week or e-mail iulawfa@indiana.edu today to find out more about making it work.